I suppose we must make note of this.
The thing about Trump Burger is that it was always irresistible, even for those who would rather eat just about anywhere else. The restaurant is what its name suggests: A burger joint devoted to President Donald J. Trump, which began in Bellville and has spawned several other locations that opened to great fanfare within an hour and a half or so of Houston.
What Trump Burger really sells isn’t burgers or chicken fingers or fries. And it’s also not the “Trump revenge tour” baseball caps or the “fake news” T-shirts on the shelves. Trump Burger is a curated experience for like-minded people. It’s a place where Trump voters flock to enjoy life the way they think the country should be. Americana on the walls, politics on the menu, Woke left at the door. The more the libs rage, the better the burgers taste.
Part of the allure, aside from the brash political persona that mirrors Trump’s own, has been the man behind the bun. Trump Burger, according to reports, was opened by a 28-year-old named Roland Beainy. In 2022, the Houston Chronicle wrote he was born in Boston, moved to Lebanon as a child and returned to the United States in 2019 to find the country governed by a president he admired. Other outlets referred to him as a Lebanese immigrant; Fox Business called him a second-generation Lebanese-American.
“Being an immigrant from a place where everything is bad … you see somebody like him to support the country and get the economy doing better,” Beainy told the Chronicle in 2022. “Me being an entrepreneur, I appreciate what he did.”
Even as Beainy built a business in tribute to that vision of America, lawsuits filed earlier this month punched holes through the Trump Burger public image — particularly one allegation buried in an exhibit. Beainy, the filing claims, might not be in the country legally.
“The lawyers are suggesting we shouldn’t comment,” Beainy said by phone on Aug. 6. “A lot of the stuff is fake, though, but it is what it is.”
His lawyer also declined to comment and did not respond to a list of written questions. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security said Beainy was undergoing immigration proceedings and claimed he was born in Lebanon, not Boston.
But the cracks in the tidy Trump Burger tale go deeper than allegations in a single lawsuit. The themes remain intact — but the details don’t.
It’s an untold story with subplots involving a vaccine scam and a murder-for-hire scheme. It’s one of clever branding that meets a moment, of what we as a society require for legitimacy. And it’s a quintessentially American saga.
You probably read about the Roland Beainy ICE detention – Lord knows, the memes about it were all over my Facebook feed for days. Iyed Abuelhawa, also knows as Eddie Hawa, was arrested by ICE in June and is the figure involved in the vaccine scam and murder-for-hire scheme. Those are both gift links, so read the stories as you see fit. You can also read the review of the restaurant if you’re morbidly curious – I can’t imagine anyone reading this who would actually go there, especially considering the countless better options available in this town. But now when someone asks you about this saga you can be prepared to answer them. You’re welcome.